Murray must do more than just shoot this summer

It won’t be long before Dejounte Murray is back in the gym this summer.

Whether it’s in his hometown of Seattle or the Spurs practice facility or at points in between, the young man nicknamed “Baby Boy” by his grandmother will put up shot after shot after shot in an effort to become a perimeter threat.

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“That’s all about reps, and he’ll get them,” Spurs guard Patty Mills said. “There is no doubt in my mind, in our mind, that the more he works, the more he will improve.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone.

“Obviously, his jump shot is a work in progress,” Malone said. “But we’ve seen (the Spurs) work their magic before with guys that come in not known as shooters, and under the tutelage of a guy like (assistant coach) Chip Engelland they wind up becoming really good shooters.”

But the Spurs don’t want Murray’s offseason work to be limited to just shooting work. While many observers believe his ticket to becoming an All-Star is all about improving in that area, his teammates know he also has to make strides as a floor general. One way to work on that this summer is to hole up in a quiet room and do nothing but watch video.

“Film study,” Mills said. “It’s understanding the game in a sense where you have time and score and all that kind of point-guard-run-the-team sort of stuff (down). It’s where you run a certain (play) knowing what you are going to get out of it and have control of the all guys on the court, both ends of the floor, organization stuff.”

The changing of the guard at point guard was one of the major stories for the Spurs in 2017-18. After Murray replaced Tony Parker in the starting lineup in late January, everyone marveled at how the slender 21-year-old sometimes took over games with a unique skill set that made him a threat to post a scoring-rebounding double-double on a nightly basis.

“I see a very long, athletic, attacking guard,” Malone said. “He’s a good rebounding guard offensively and defensively, (with the) ability to get into the paint and finish.”

But Murray needs to be something else in the future, something Mills calls, “The coach’s coach out on the floor.”

That’s something that was missing at times for the Spurs after Gregg Popovich made the change at point guard.

“There have been parts throughout this season where organization on both ends of the floor hasn’t been what we would have liked,” Mills said during the first-round playoff series with the Warriors. “But that all comes in growing.”

And a lot of that growing can come off the court through intense film study.

“It’s understanding not only your position throughout all these plays, but other guys’ positions as well, so you can direct guys,” Mills said. “You have to know what guys are meant to be in certain spots at certain times. If someone else doesn’t know the play, then you can direct them or what not.

“That’s not easy, it definitely takes times and reps under the belt.”

Popovich put it this way a few weeks after he handed the reins to Murray.

“Learning how to run the show takes a little bit of time for a young person,” Popovich said. “That point guard position is the toughest one on the court and has an infinite amount of responsibility.”

The good news for the Spurs is Murray possesses a burning desire to be the best and is willing to go to any lengths to fulfill that goal, including studying the game off the court.

“To get to where I want to go, I know I’ve got to get smarter,” he said. “In the last five minutes, you’ve got to get a great shot. It all starts with me. I’ve got to make sure guys are in the right spot.”

And some of that knowledge can be gained with something as simple as pushing a few buttons on the remote control.